The Pensacola Flyers were a professional indoor soccer team in the Eastern Indoor Soccer League (EISL) . The Flyers only season was 1998. The EISL began play in June 14, 1997 as a regional developmental indoor soccer league, positioning itself as a minor, professional league. It was in effect the first minor indoor soccer league in the USA. It had aspirations to be similar to the Major Indoor Soccer League. The league, which played in the summer, only lasted two seasons before folding in which the Lafayette Swampcats would become league champions both years. The commissioner was John MacKenzie.
| Pensacola Flyers | |
| Founded | 2000 |
| League | EISL |
| Team History | 1998 |
|---|---|
| Arena | Pensacola Civic Center |
| Team Colors | Red, Teal & White |
| President | Lynn Broadway |
| Championships | 0 |
| Division Titles | 0 |
1998 Season
The team moved to Pensacola from Tupelo and was renamed the Flyers. The team President and CEO was Lynn Broadway with ticket prices ranging from $7 to $18. The team finished 10-18, sixth in the standings out of seven teams and did not qualify for the playoffs. The Flyers scored 321 points, two more than the divison leading Swampcats. However, the defense leaked profusely as they allowed 352 points--second worst in the league. The Flyers averaged 1,032 fans per game. Former Flyer Midfielder John Molet is currently a member of the Denver Dynamite of the Professional Arena Soccer League. Another former player, Oleg "Bal" Baleyev, is the head coach of the Jones County Junior College soccer team in Ellisville, Mississippi. He served as the head women’s coach for two years before concentrating solely on the men’s team in 2008. Although teams such as Pensacola and Lafayette have a decent fanbase, the EISL folded after the season due to team owners' loss of confidence in the league's future. The Swampcats to this day maintain a fan website.
1997 Season
The Flyers began the 1997 season as the Tupelo Hound Dogs, based in Tupelo, Mississippi. The Dogs went 12-12, finished 5th out of the league's seven teams and missed the playoffs.